Mozart: Serenade No. 5 in D major, K. 204/213a (with Score)

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart:
Serenade No. 5 in D major, K. 204/213a (with Score)
Composed: 1775
Performance: Camerata Salzburg

00:00 1. Allegro assai (D major)
05:58 2. Andante moderato (A major)
13:10 3. Allegro (A major)
18:40 4. Menuetto (D major)
21:54 5. Andante (G major)
27:21 6. Menuetto - Trio (D major)
30:56 7. Andantino grazioso - Allegro (D major)

In the common listing of Mozart's symphonies, the largest chronological gap occurs between 1774 and 1778, spanning the interval from the symphony designated No. 30 to No. 31, the "Paris" Symphony. During that period, however, he wrote five serenades. Mozart's serenades of this period are no less substantial than his symphonies: at the time, in fact, the symphony was considered merely a secondary attraction as part of some event or theatrical evening, while a serenade was normally written expressly for an occasion and was intended to serve as the featured work. In Salzburg, serenades had developed into a highly developed and conventional form; thriftily, Mozart often constructed them in such a way that several movements could be extracted (and sold) as a complete symphony, while others could be assembled as a concerto. Mozart adopted the former plan in the present serenade, extracting four movements (marked above with an asterisk) as an independent symphony. He thought well enough of the "new" work, in fact, to write to his father from Vienna, asking that the score be sent to him for his use; similarly, the Andante moderato and Allegro eventually found their way into the Violin Concerto in A major, K. 219.

Because of its August, 1775 date, scholars speculate that it was intended for performance as part of the graduation ceremonies at the University of Salzburg. The Serenade is scored for flute, two oboes, bassoon, two horns, two trumpets, kettledrum, strings, and a harpsichord continuo. The finale is very unusual for its time as it alternates sections that are in 2/4 and 3/8, an effect that he used shortly in the last movement of his Violin Concerto in D major, K. 218.